By Tim Lambert
Our word curfew comes from the old French couvrir feu cover fire, because when a bell rang at a certain time, you were supposed to put out your fire and go to bed. It was a precaution against accidental fires, which were a big hazard when people lived in wooden houses with thatched roofs.
In the 16th century, chimneys were a luxury. Poor people just lit a fire in the middle of the floor and let the smoke escape through the thatched roof. Chimneys were a status symbol so some 16th-century manor houses had fake chimneys on their roofs, which were not attached to any fireplace.
In 1840, the British parliament voted to ban boys from cleaning chimneys by climbing up them. But the act was often ignored. In 1875, a new law said chimney sweeps had to register with the authorities and be given a certificate, which they would lose if they were found to be breaking the law.
Benjamin Waddy Maughan invented the gas water heater in 1868.
In 1871, the Peshtigo forest fire raged in Wisconsin. It was the worst forest fire on record, and it burned about 1.2 million acres.
The electric fan was invented in 1882 by Dr Schuyler Wheeler.
The electric water heater was invented in 1889 by Edwin Ruud.
In Britain, gas fires first became common in the 1880s. Gas cookers first became common in the 1890s.
The first electric kettle was made in 1891.
The first electric toaster was invented in 1893 by Alan MacMasters.
In 1903, Eduard Penkala, a Croatian, patented the rubber hot water bottle.
In 1906, Willis Carrier patented air conditioning.
In July 1911, Britain sweltered in a heat wave. Temperatures reached 98 degrees Fahrenheit, 36.6 degrees centigrade.
The first practical electric blanket was invented in 1912 by Sidney I. Russell.
The first practical electric fire was made in 1912.
The pop-up toaster was invented by Charles Strite in 1919.
On 24 July 1935, temperatures in Chicago reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit or 43 degrees Centigrade.
The highest recorded temperature on Earth was in Death Valley, California, on 10 July 1913. It reached 55.7 degrees centigrade (134 degrees Fahrenheit).
In 1975, 47% of homes in Britain had central heating.
